Do you know someone that is extremely generous? What makes you view them as generous, and what other words would you use to describe them?
The Drawbacks of Woke Philanthropy
No doubt you’ve heard about “woke” this and that. I’ve watched developments in the world of “woke capitalism” with concern, especially as that movement spills over into the world of philanthropy and giving.
Is Philanthropy A Form of Free Speech?
I came across this fascinating interview sometime last year and am finally getting around to sharing it here. Philanthropy Roundtable interviewed Nadine Strossen, a former president of the American Civil Liberties Union, in late 2020. Strossen had recently published her book, Hate: Why We should Resist it with Free Speech, Not Censorship. What caught my attention in the interview were …
Why Multi-Generational Family Matters
I speak often on the multi-generational view of family.
For many it’s a new concept, but I have yet to have anyone disagree with me. I’ve yet to meet a parent that subscribes to a “one and done” philosophy—meaning that they hope to have kids who will immediately walk away from the family unit, form a contrary set of values, and never return.
What’s The Best Gift You’ve Ever Received?
What’s the best gift you’ve ever been given?
Not necessarily the most extravagant, or the most costly, but the best gift? For me, it was a book, a simple hardbound book with pictures throughout, with corners now frayed and pages yellowed with age.
The Surprise Christmas Blessing
My father died a week before Christmas. I was just 12 years old. My mom was left with six kids to raise and little income to make ends meet. We buried him three days before Christmas—December 22.
Are You Missing This Ingredient in Your Holiday Traditions?
Do you remember reading about feasts in the Bible?
Perhaps you have, and perhaps you’ve skipped right over them or at best scanned them briefly. There are seven of them in fact. They all have different names and purposes.
But have you ever wondered what the real purpose of those feasts was?
When God Answers Prayers You Did Not Pray
It was a prayer he did not pray, and the answer he did not ask for. Yet through it, God revealed special depths of his goodness and grace.
Another Leaky Pipe? The Effective Fundraiser, Part 2
I was sitting with a friend of mine, and he told me about a startling experience of his. He’d been asked to join a board for years. He finally relented, but he was in for a surprise at his first board meeting.
Got Leaky Pipes? The Effective Fundraiser, Part 1
I remember when I first started in the donor advised fund world. One of our earliest funds was opened by a sharp, shrewd man. He asked me a simple question: “Do you have your donor advised fund set up?”